The massive outdoor political rallies and demonstrations leading up to and following the last presidential election shows just how divided we are as a nation.

The great cultural differences are reflected in the halls of government in Washington as well with many Democrats, still stung and deeply wounded by the election, doing their best to resist and slow all cabinet appointments by the Trump administration.The mood is reminiscent of the demonstrations a half century ago when young people, now known as the protest generation, voiced their feelings over civil rights, the Vietnam War, women, gay rights and the environment. Many of those 1960s movements did lead to some policy change, affecting the lives of most Americans living today.Massive rallies raged through the 1960s, and on April 22,1970, some 20 million Americans gathered for what organizers called Earth Day to protest abuse of the environment.Last week, I met a couple from North Dakota who have been affected by a modern-day protest. They have a home near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, epicenter of recent Dakota Access Pipeline protests.They shared some background on that protest that was news to me, thanks to the mainstream media having completely ignored it.At the time they left their home community two weeks ago to enjoy a few weeks of Florida sunshine, sanitation crews were working to prevent an environmental tragedy caused by mountains of debris left by protesters. The six months' worth of garbage at the protest site has frozen into massive chunks of junk and crews were trying to remove it before the spring thaw occurs and the trash possibly turns toxic.North Dakota officials estimated it will take 250 trucks filled with litter to clear the camp area. Each load that's dumped was also examined to make sure there are no bodies wrapped up in a canvas tent or tarp.The North Dakota couple I met also reported the gross behavior by some protesters, such as throwing feces at the police.We all have the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and the right for people to assemble peaceably.It's been said that the practice of peaceful assembly, a fundamental human right in America, gives a voice to the voiceless, and power for the powerless.It is true that our First Amendment even protects speech that is hateful and sickening, which was evident in North Dakota and at last month's Inauguration in Washington, D.C., when protests turned violent and police arrested hundreds.Some loud, obnoxious behavior was also on display during the massive Women's March in Washington, where a number of foul-mouthed entertainers, including Madonna and Ashley Judd, used their political activism to ignite the crowd.Madonna, who used the F-word four times, told the crowd she thought many times about "blowing up the White House" but decided against it because it "wouldn't change anything."Judd said she could "feel Hitler in these streets," comparing Trump to the Nazi dictator - "a mustache traded for a toupee" - during her diatribe.A week after the Women's protest, a March for Life rally held in Washington, D.C., showed the clear difference between participants at both huge gatherings. The Women's March became a trash-talking event where attendees also left mountains of literal trash to clean up.Officials on the ground, meanwhile, remarked how the Right to Life people were respectful and left the streets and parks spotless.Liberals on the far left who are constantly harping about a "clean environment" could start by launching fewer F-word attacks that pollute the airways and practice more civility and better hygiene at their own events.By Jim Zbick |

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